Skateboarders on thin ice; park cleanliness an issue for town officials

Cathryn Keefe O’Hare

Thursday

May 3, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 3, 2007 at 3:19 AM

Two weeks ago, the kids received an ultimatum: make sure the skate park stays clear of debris, graffiti and trouble or we’ll close it. But, according to the skateboarders, they’re not the ones who litter, write dirty words or do bad deeds in the secluded haven at Plains Park.

VIDEO: Skateboarders speak out

Two weeks ago, the kids received an ultimatum: make sure the skate park stays clear of debris, graffiti and trouble or we’ll close it.

But, according to the skateboarders, they’re not the ones who litter, write dirty words or do bad deeds in the secluded haven at Plains Park.

“These are great kids,” said Bob Raiche, owner of Toys N Things in the Square, where some of the kids work and lots of them are welcome. “They expect these guys to make it look like the Taj Mahal,” he continued. But, the adults in the community need to step up to the plate and work with these kids, he said.

David Mountain, Recreation Division director, and Chief Neil Ouellette both said they don’t want to close the park, which has a memorial plaque to a young boy who died of cancer five years ago, Sean McLaughlin, and has been a popular place for kids to enjoy free time and the fine art of in-line skating and skate boarding. They just want the kids to spread the word and stop their peers from trashing the place.

“It just gets to a point something has to be done,” Mountain said this week.

“We’re not accusing anyone,” said Chief Ouellette separately. But, the town is “spending an inordinate amount of time cleaning things up,” he said.

Six teens joined Bob Raiche at his shop Tuesday afternoon, hoping for an opportunity to explain their point of view. They advocated that the park stay open, declaring that they are not the culprits.

“If it’s closed, where do we go?” asked Kevin McCourt, 15.

Ryan Campbell, 15, is the one who was told by a man who identified himself as part of the Recreation Division that the park would be closed if he and his friends didn’t keep it clean. He hopes it was happenstance that a big tractor was nearby, because he had visions of grass replacing the area he and his friends so enjoy.

Mountain said separately that he had been down there a couple of times, trying to spread the word that the kids had to take responsibility for the park.

Part of the problem has been that there was no trash barrel, in keeping with the town’s carry-in, carry-out policy about trash. Mountain agreed, separately, but noted the town decided it would put some at the skate park. Unfortunately, kids dumped the trash out and used the barrels for more skateboard planks, he said.

“That’s ridiculous,” all the boys said. You just can’t use the barrels like that, they said, with a knowing air about their pastime.

There is a trash barrel, which was placed at the park not long ago, the boys said. The boys put their own trash in it and other people’s debris when they see it. They also want a clean area, they said, because you can’t skateboard over trash.

Their benchmark for cleanliness may be less than the town’s, since most of the time they don’t think the park is badly littered. But the boys liked Mountain’s idea, expressed separately, that the barrel be chained to the fence.

“Usually we pick it up,” said Ben Irving, 16. “It makes us mad, too.”

In fact, Irving said, the skateboarders are the ones who, on their own initiative and with no help from the town, clean up the July Fourth fireworks debris that falls in the skateboard park.

As for graffiti, some of it includes bad language, they said, confirming Mountain’s complaint.

Cody Chirichiello, 15, noted that the town paints over the graffiti, but that actually makes the park slippery and a little unsafe for a while, which the skateboarders don’t like.

The boys spoke about someone from Beverly, with the “tag,” or identifying mark, “Chunks.” They spoke about fifth-graders, sixth-graders, or out-of-towners who drive to the park, finding the unlit and secluded spot ideal.

The chief and Mountain both said there have been too many calls.

“As you know, budgets are tight,” said Chief Ouellette. “We want to recruit them to help us out.”

“Someone had been trashing the place on a daily basis,” said Mountain, noting that during construction of the Holten-Richmond two years ago, the park was closed because people were taking some of the construction materials to make better jumps.

But, the skateboarders should not be punished as a result, the boys said.

“I think we need someone besides the cops to talk with us,” said Jason Ross, 16.

Raiche, who has a degree in recreation management and is retired from a career as a YMCA director, agreed.

Someone should stop by one or two times a week,” Riache said. “No one is taking responsibility in the adult community.”

Ross had gone to Town Hall to talk with the Recreation Division people about a community service project through the high school. He also talked about fundraising.

“I’ll work with them,” said Raiche enthusiastically.

Chief Ouellette said separately that the police, too, are anxious to help solve the problems.

“Come on down,” he said, hoping to arrange a meeting that may result in identifying the true miscreants and keeping the park as an asset for the youth of the town.